KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS Acquires Shares of 11,700 Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:KLIC)

KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS purchased a new position in shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:KLIC - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm purchased 11,700 shares of the semiconductor company's stock, valued at approximately $548,000.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Barclays PLC raised its position in Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 85.2% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 96,604 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $4,361,000 after acquiring an additional 44,429 shares in the last quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 27.8% during the 3rd quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC now owns 88,712 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $3,977,000 after purchasing an additional 19,279 shares during the last quarter. Stifel Financial Corp increased its stake in shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 32.4% during the 3rd quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 48,328 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $2,181,000 after purchasing an additional 11,836 shares during the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers lifted its stake in shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 8.2% in the 4th quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 163,491 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $7,628,000 after purchasing an additional 12,355 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC bought a new stake in Kulicke and Soffa Industries in the fourth quarter worth $346,000. 98.22% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have weighed in on KLIC. Needham & Company LLC restated a "buy" rating and set a $53.00 target price on shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries in a report on Thursday, February 6th. StockNews.com raised Kulicke and Soffa Industries from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $52.00.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries Stock Up 0.4 %

KLIC stock traded up $0.11 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $29.23. 1,406,609 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 530,707. The business has a 50-day moving average of $38.30 and a two-hundred day moving average of $43.66. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.56 billion, a PE ratio of 243.58 and a beta of 1.50. Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. has a 52 week low of $26.63 and a 52 week high of $53.71.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries (NASDAQ:KLIC - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The semiconductor company reported $0.27 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.28 by ($0.01). Kulicke and Soffa Industries had a net margin of 0.48% and a negative return on equity of 1.26%. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. will post 0.93 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 8th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 20th will be paid a dividend of $0.205 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 20th. This represents a $0.82 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.81%. Kulicke and Soffa Industries's dividend payout ratio is currently 683.33%.

About Kulicke and Soffa Industries

Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc designs, manufactures, and sells capital equipment and tools used to assemble semiconductor devices. It operates through four segments: Ball Bonding Equipment, Wedge Bonding Equipment, Advanced Solutions, and Aftermarket Products and Services (APS). The company offers ball bonding equipment, wafer level bonding equipment, wedge bonding equipment; and advanced display, die-attach, and thermocompression systems and solutions, as well as tools, spares and services for equipment.